Fate
by memoryoflightwaves
Summary: For Izayoi, finding someone to open her heart to has always been a struggle. A miracle happens when Izayoi finds herself falling in love with the man her father is forcing her to marry, but she begins to pull away once another man catches her attention. Events in her past begin to resurface, and it is then when she discovers who she is meant to be with. Izayoi x Inu no Taisho.
1. The Day We Met

Gently she rested on her knees but she could still feel them going numb beneath her. Despite the discomfort, Izayoi was enjoying her company and could stand to deal with this sensation for just a while longer. Properly, Izayoi had her hands folded on her lap but she pulled one up to her face to hide a giggle that escaped her lips. _If this is duty, then I will be the happiest woman throughout Japan. _Her brown eyes sparkled as she focused on the man sitting across the table from her. Izayoi had feared that she would not particularly like the man her father had betrothed her to, but her fears quickly diminished when the man took his first step in the room. Handsome, humorous and sweet was this man. It did not matter to her that he was almost a decade older than her. However, Izayoi was in desperate need to stretch her legs. Not wanting to be rude, she had quickly come up with a plan when she glanced out one of the windows that had rays of sunlight pouring in from the outside.

Using one hand to push up from the floor, Izayoi gracefully stood up and hid her hands within her kimono sleeves. "Shall I show you our garden?" she asked the man softly.

Before answering her, Izayoi felt his dark eyes travel up her body. That day Izayoi's handmaids had dressed her up in one of her best kimono's. The whole piece was white, but the obi was red with pink budding flowers embroidered on. There were also pink flowers embroidered on the collar and the ends of her sleeves. They had let Izayoi's silky straight dark hair fall over her shoulders plainly, and it was so long it nearly touched her thighs.

"Beautiful," he whispered. Izayoi did not know if he had meant for her to hear that, but she giggled once more and felt herself turn red. She shuffled towards the exit and slid open the door while slipping on her straw sandals that made a scratching noise on the wooden floor. When she turned around to call for him, her betrothed was already standing up. This was the first time they had been so physically close, and Izayoi felt herself blush more. Her hand went up to cover half of her face, and she took a step outside and paced away from the man, more quickly and rude than she had intended. Izayoi found herself standing under her favorite spot once she was inside her garden. The wisteria tree was in full bloom, and if she wanted to she could reach up and touch the soft purple flowers that swayed in the wind. It's sweet scent filled her nose. The sight of her favorite flowers calmed her and she began to think clearly again. Why was she running away from him when she could feel herself falling for this man? Behind her she could hear her betrothed walking up to her so she slowly turned around.

"Ishida-sama..." Izayoi acknowledged him as he approached her and locked his gaze on her big brown eyes.

He shook his head. "Please, call me Keiji. You are to be my wife so there is no need for formalities," he assured her.

"Keiji..." Izayoi fixed herself but she said his name as if it were a secret. The hime was not so used to calling a person by their given name so early in a relationship, but she told herself this was a different situation. This man was to be her husband, and the sooner they became comfortable with one another the better.

Keiji laughed at her and she did not understand. After his laugh, he sighed and smiled. "Ishida Izayoi. The name fits you," he tried to touch her shoulder but she nudged away slightly so he stopped himself. "My apologies. Perhaps I am moving too fast for you..." his smile turned into a small frown.

"No! Please. I am sorry..." she gently grabbed his hand. Izayoi could feel herself falling for this man, and she felt bad for making him uncomfortable. Izayoi had always been timid, so she could not help how she fretted over certain social interactions. This kind of personality Izayoi had developed had made her status as a hime more difficult than it should be. A hime was expected to warmly greet all her guests and to be able to carry on a conversation with ease. She had always struggled to keep a conversation going and was often scolded afterwards by her father for embarrassing her family. The thought saddened her.

Keiji stared down at his hand that she had grabbed and he squeezed back. His smile returned, and Izayoi felt herself smiling as well. _This man can cheer me up easily. I will enjoy that._ They had found a comfortable spot to sit in the garden while holding hands. Soon they began to discuss so many things from the best parties they have had to what their favorite dish was. She had never spoken so much to one person, besides her childhood friend. When he smiled down at her and began to lean in she blushed and turned her face away. _We can't before our wedding..._ she told herself. He had to know that, too, but he didn't seem to care. A few feet in front of them was a small pond and she saw their reflections in the brown water. Keiji was still looking at her as she stared at his reflection in the pond; his dark eyes were soft and he wore a small smile as if he did not mind her turning away. She was thankful.

"There you are," a stern but familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Ah," Izayoi stood up and bowed as her father approached them. _I'm so relieved that I turned away_, Izayoi thought while slightly blushing and fearing what would have happened if her father saw them kissing before becoming husband and wife. Keiji was soon standing next to her and gave a slight bow himself to her father. "I was... only... just showing Ishida-sama the gardens..." she stumbled her words as she glanced down at her feet.

Keiji took a step forward. "Such a beautiful garden. Almost as beautiful as your daughter," he charmed her lord father.

"So you are truly happy with her?"

"Of course!"

"Hrm. So be it. The wedding will take place here. However, we need time for preparations. You may go home now, Ishida-kun, and return in one month..." Izayoi's father mumbled about their wedding as if it were nothing more than a small picnic.

...

The laughter she let out was more merry than it normally was. Her childhood friend, Noriko, was asking so many questions about that morning and her excitement was quite amusing to watch and hear. Both couldn't believe that Izayoi was finally engaged and Noriko was thrilled for her friend. Mikami Noriko was the daughter of her mother's sister. Both have tragically lost their mothers and no one knows what happened to Noriko's father so she lived with them most of the time. Noriko had also been unsuccessful in finding a suitable husband for herself, but since both her parents were gone there was no one to push her into finding one. Izayoi's father was only concerned for Izayoi and no one else.

"You need to tell me _everything_. Did you two kiss!?" Noriko blurted as she grabbed Izayoi's hands firmly.

When she tried to respond no her voice cracked as she remembered that Keiji had actually tried to kiss her. Even though they did not kiss, Izayoi began to blush prettily which sent a wrong message to Noriko.

"Oh wow! What did it feel like!?" she began jumping from believing her dear friend had her first kiss.

Izayoi shook her head quickly. "Goodness, no! We did not kiss. A hime is not allowed to kiss before she becomes a wife," she explained to Noriko even though Noriko probably knew that already. Then Izayoi bit her lip and pulled away from Noriko as she neared a window to glance outside. The air was cool and refreshing and the moon shone bright over the wisteria tree. Izayoi sighed. Why did she feel so down all of a sudden? Keiji was a wonderful man, but she felt as if there was something missing. Then she yelled at herself. This was more than she could ever dream of, and she should be grateful for this match. Izayoi felt a hand touch her shoulder and when she looked back she saw Noriko frowning at her.

"You are not happy?" Noriko asked while shaking her head as if she were confused.

"I am simply tired, is all. If you do not mind I would like to retire early tonight," she hinted at Noriko that she wanted some privacy. With a nod, her friend exited her room and Izayoi was finally left alone. "But perhaps I am unhappy..." she softly said to herself as she looked back out the window. When she glanced at the wisteria tree, something seemed off.

She couldn't believe what she saw. Izayoi closed her eyes tightly and then reopened them only to see it again. _There's someone sleeping in my wisteria tree! _Her first thought was to call the samurai but Izayoi was rather curious and wanted to see the person herself. Quickly, she tip toed out of her room while peeking down the hallway to see if anyone was there. Izayoi was alone, so she slid closed her bedroom door behind her and sneakily went to the end of the hall where the large meeting room was. When she slid open that door the memory of that morning went through her mind. As she walked, now less cautiously, towards the garden entrance Izayoi stared at the table where her and Keiji had their first encounter. Sighing, she opened the back door and slipped on on her straw sandals before stepping outside. _ If this person looks dangerous then I'll return immediately..._ she told herself as she walked on the flat stones that created a path towards the tree. On either side of her there were numerous flowers, but the wisteria tree stood tall and caught the eyes of everyone who happened to visit their garden. Moonlight poured through the branches and the purple flowers danced in the soft breeze. Finally she was close enough to see the person. To see _him_. Izayoi could clearly make out that this person was a man, but he looked odd. His long, silver hair was tied back and pinned between his back and the trunk of the tree. The man's eyes were closed and his chest rose every time he took in a deep breath as he slept. A deep purple mark ran along both cheeks on his face, and Izayoi tilted her head as she continued to examine him. His clothing was a white kimono and sash, and had various armor equipped such as a breastplate, a layered pauldron on each shoulder and metal boots.

"You're intruding," he growled suddenly, but kept his eyes shut.

The hime nearly fell to her knees but instead stumbled back a few steps. The man opened one eye and leered down at her. His eye was the color of gold and his pupil was slit like a cat's eye. That made Izayoi open her mouth in awe. Everything was still as they gazed upon the other. The man opened the other eye and turned his head slightly to get a better look at her. He snarled, and let out a small rumbling growl. Fear held onto Izayoi.

"Please..." Izayoi pleaded, afraid this man would try to cause her harm for bothering him. "I won't tell anyone you're here. Allow me go back..." she began to take a step back but voices behind her caught her attention. When she whirled around she saw her father's samurai holding torches and yelling out her name. Her stomach hit the floor. Stiffly, Izayoi turned around and began to beg for mercy for leading them there but when she looked up at the branch he had vanished. "Huh?" she whispered and blinked a few times. Her name was growing louder now, and they have now caught sight of her. She paced slowly around and tried to look to see where he had went, but a strong grip on her shoulder interrupted her small search.

The samurai had a mean look on his face, but his voice was kind. "Are you harmed, hime?" he asked her.

"No," she replied and took one more glance up at the wisteria tree. Izayoi was sure of what she saw now. Slowly, the samurai took Izayoi back into her room and reluctantly told her that they will need to tell this to her father in the morning. She did not even have the courage to try and beg them not to tell her father, so instead she just hung her head sadly as they closed her bedroom door. When she heard their many footsteps disappear down the hall, Izayoi climbed out of her bed and went to peek out her window. Still, he was not there in the wisteria tree. It was that night, she knew, that she had her first encounter with a demon.


	2. Ghosts of Our Pasts

"What's the matter with you, girl!?" her father yelled rather hoarsely down at her.

Nearly in tears, Izayoi sat on her knees before her father with her kimono sleeve covering the bottom half of her face. Her shoulders trembled from the embarrassment of being scolded like a child, but she did not have it in her to speak in an ill manner in front of her father. That would not be appropriate for a young lady ready to be wed. So, there Izayoi sat and waited for her father's temper to subside. This nearly felt like forever, though.

"Will you not tell me why you were outside so late last night? Hm?" he spat.

"I... I... I..." she stuttered. Izayoi simply could not find the words. She surely was not stupid enough to tell her father that she had take it upon herself to approach a demon. Of course, she did not know that it was a demon at first but even if it were just a normal man she would be punished greatly. What if her father thought she was seeing someone other than Keiji? The thought frightened her. If she were to be seen with a man, betrothed or not, she could suffer terrible consequences. Izayoi pulled herself together and tried her best to answer her father so he would not be so upset with her. "You know I love the wisteria tree, father... All I wanted was to enjoy my garden," she softly said, her voice nearly a mumble from the sleeve blocking her voice.

"At night!? And you stop covering your mouth when you speak! Hands down! How many times do I have to remind you to sit like a lady?" he continued to yell and his face was now becoming red.

Her hand went immediately down to her lap and she forced a solemn expression on her face. "Yes, father," she replied, with her lip trembling slightly.

Everything grew quiet after her reply. Sighing, her father turned around and went to sit down on the floor near a table with hot tea waiting for him. For a moment they did not speak, but Izayoi did not mind at all. Watching her father drink his tea reminded her of better days. Also, she knew that her father was thinking of those days as well as he stared down at his tea after one last sip and placing it back on the table. "Jasmine tea," was all he said. The redness in his face was gone and now his voice was softer, despite the normal rasping tone that was always there.

"Mother's favorite," Izayoi noted.

His sad eyes placed themselves on her. Izayoi had started to notice how old he was becoming. Wrinkles were becoming more noticeable on her father's once handsome face. The wrinkles around his mouth made him seem as if he were always frowning. Deep circles were under his eyes but he never complained of being tired. Perhaps he was too proud to admit any weakness, as most men were. Izayoi wished that the world did not have to operate that way. Why can't a man cry out his fears and sorrows with anyone? Especially with their women. Izayoi would hate to see a husband of hers shut her out of his world, a world that seemed awfully important but could not include her. All she was meant to do was provide heirs and enchant guests throughout her life. She wondered if Keiji would ever open up to her as she would like to open up to him during their marriage. Her father's voice brought her back to reality and she blinked a few times as the thoughts were erased from her mind.

"You look just like her," he said in an even softer voice. "Your mother was beautiful..." his eyes were now back on the tea and he went to take another sip.

Izayoi gulped and dared to speak. "Father. If you need to speak to anyone about the past... if there is anything troubling you..." she tried to think of a decent way to end her sentence but her mind went blank. The way her father's eyebrows pinched together after her comment made her regret speaking in the first place.

"Mind yourself, my daughter. My problems are my problems. You are dismissed, return to your room..." his voice rattled and he cleared his throat as Izayoi stood up and bowed before leaving his room politely. Izayoi took a deep breath as she made her way back to her room slowly. Her kindness was repaid with angry words, but she was quite used to her father's behavior by now. Nothing he did upset her like it used to. Every day, however, she wished her father from when her mother was alive would still be present. After her mother died, the house seem to die with her. Her father grew cold in his soul, and she was surprised that he was nice enough to let Noriko come to live with them when her parents died. Perhaps it was to keep her occupied and not bother her father constantly as he was the only parent she had left. Sometimes Izayoi believed it was her looks that bothered him. Izayoi did look so much like her mother, and she must grow more and more like her mother as she grew older. _Now he wants to marry me off and forget about my existence. The remaining piece of his dead wife..._ she thought sadly as she finally made it to her room and entered. Inside her room someone was waiting for her.

Noriko was looking out the window but turned her attention towards Izayoi when she stepped inside her room. "Izayoi-chan! What happened!?" she asked in a worrisome tone.

"Father scolded me for taking a nightly walk in my garden..." Izayoi told half the truth as she went to look at herself in a mirror that was placed near her bed. Inside the mirror she saw her mother's face even though she knew it was her own. Behind her in the mirror she could see Noriko pacing towards her looking slightly confused. "Do you remember my mother?" Izayoi asked while turning around to face her friend.

Noriko shook her head. "And I doubt you remember mine. Our mother's left us a long time ago, Izayoi-chan..." she grabbed Izayoi's hands as if to comfort her.

When they were small, Izayoi and Noriko often played together. Izayoi's aunt would drop off Noriko and would leave to attend whatever meeting was occurring with the rest of the adults in the family. One day they had received the news that both their mother's and Noriko's father as well had suffered a terrible accident on their way home from a meeting. They held onto each other and cried for hours, but Izayoi was there mostly for Noriko as she was slightly younger and had suffered two losses instead of one. They were more like sister's if anything, and Izayoi would do anything for Noriko. For some reason Izayoi felt like telling Noriko what had really happened the night before. She trusted her completely and needed to take some weight off her chest. What happened the night before had never left her mind for one minute. That demon's face soundly sleeping... she had almost thought of him handsome until he looked down at her with that awful mean look.

"About last night..." Izayoi had tried to talk about the demon but her voice was too soft to be heard and Noriko had begun speaking about something else with excitement strong in her voice.

"Hey! Did you hear about the ghosts in the woods beyond the garden!?" Noriko straightened up and began pulling on Izayoi's hand as she made her way to the door. "Let's go check it out!" she giggled and they exited Izayoi's room but Izayoi began to resist.

Her voice shook when she spoke. "Father said..." she trailed off and Noriko pouted.

"You're not a little kid anymore, Izayoi-chan! Soon you will be married and living somewhere else. We should do something fun before you leave..." she sounded sad for a moment.

They had never brought up that topic yet, but they both knew the other thought about it. Once Izayoi married Keiji then Izayoi would go to live with him inside his home. No one knew what Noriko had planned to do once that happened, but Izayoi knew they had to talk about it sooner or later. After thinking for a short moment, Izayoi nodded in agreement to Noriko's little adventure.

The nod made Noriko incredibly joyful. "Oh, great! I wonder if the stories are true!" Noriko squealed and Izayoi put her index finger up to her lips to try and hush Noriko so they would not be seen leaving their home. She was already in trouble for leaving her room without permission, and that was just for being in the garden. The thought of being caught outside the premises of her home sort of frightened her, but what Noriko said about her not being a kid sparked something in her. _I am a grown lady that will be leaving my childhood home within a month. Surely I have some rights..._ she told herself.

After cautiously finding their way into the garden they stopped and waited for the guard on the gate to be distracted. Finally, the samurai guarding the gate left for unknown reasons and Izayoi and Noriko bolted out and into the nearby woods. It had been forever since Izayoi explored these woods. They often did when they were younger, but for some reason her father had forbid it after their mother's passed away. The reason Izayoi had come up with is that her father simply did not want Izayoi to be in harm's way and became overprotective over his daughter. Surely there were some dangers out here, but she thought of them as rare and nothing to fret about. Noriko began playfully spinning around as she looked up at the sky through the newly budding branches. Eventually she made herself incredibly dizzy and fell over on her back which made the both of them giggle.

"So what are these stories you have heard, Noriko-chan?" Izayoi asked with a smile.

Still lying on the ground, Noriko turned her head so she could face Izayoi as best she could. "Well, I heard there was a weeping woman wandering around. She is dressed in a black kimono, and red tears are smeared across her face!" Noriko took her fingers and traced fake tears on her cheeks and made a funny expression to show she probably did not really believe what she heard.

"That sounds... disturbing," she replied while looking around uncomfortably. Izayoi heard a noise as if someone was cutting wood and felt her heart skip a beat. When she turned around she saw nothing, but that only added to her fears. Noriko was still dizzy and making whining noises, so Izayoi let her be and went to explore where she heard the noise. It was not too long after where she heard that noise again, as if someone were taking an axe and swinging it at a tree. This time more noise followed, a large creaking noise and then suddenly a large bang. _That's the noise of a tree falling..._ Izayoi was sure and she finally found the location of that tree. But it was not the tree on the ground that caught her attention, but the man by it.

This man had a large sword in his hand that was meant to be used with two hands, and he placed it back in his sheath in an elegant manner. Izayoi's eyes widened as she examined him. _The demon..._ she took a step back but she stopped. Something seemed different with this demon. He still had the long, straight silver hair but it was not tied back. Also, the markings on his face were different. On his forehead there was a blue crescent moon and instead of one deep purple stripe there were two purple stripes on each cheek. But those golden eyes were the same, and they were on her. Even though the distance between them was great, she still felt as if she were in danger. Without thinking, Izayoi turned around and started to run back to where Noriko was but she immediately was halted to a stop when that demon she just saw was now directly in front of her.

Izayoi ended up landing on her rear from stopping so suddenly, and she trembled as she stared up at the demon. _Impossible! He was so far away just two seconds ago..._ This was a demon, she reminded herself, and demons can do strange things. Suddenly a voice behind her caught the attention of the demon leering down at her. Izayoi looked over her shoulder to see who it was.

"You let her be, son..." the demon she had seen the night before was behind her.

_Son? These two are father and son?_ She was still frightened terribly, not knowing if this demon was truly trying to help her.

"You're protecting a mere mortal?" the son rasped coldly. "You disappoint me, father..."

The father laughed but then turned serious almost immediately. "Sesshomaru, you will listen to your father. You leave now," he commanded his son.

Izayoi watched with tears in her eyes. Back and forth she glanced at the demons she was caught in between. All she could do was sit there and wait for them to do something. Anything. Then, finally, the son took leave. With a leap, he flew up into the sky and vanished. Izayoi blinked rapidly, not believing what she had witnessed. They truly were demons. One had left, but one still remained near her. Slowly, she pulled her brown eyes away from the sky and went to stare at the father demon she had seen in her wisteria tree. The only noise was the wind blowing through the trees, and it slightly messed up her hair. She pulled her hair back and she started to calm down.

"You were in my tree last night..." she spoke as stern as she could, but it was pitiful.

The father demon laughed again, but he remained smiling after his laughter had gone. The night before he had snarled at her, but now his expression was the opposite. Uncertain of his purpose, Izayoi just stared at him with no particular expression after blinking her tears away. She was waiting for him to speak to her, or perhaps waiting for him to kill her. She had no say in what he did. He was a demon, and her a mere mortal just like his son said. What could she do?

"You look like her..." he spoke with such a powerful voice.

Izayoi took in a deep breath. "Like who?" she questioned.

The demon smiled. "Your mother," he answered.

"My mother? You knew my mother?" Izayoi was so stunned she pushed herself to her feet but before she stood straight up the demon had taken off just like his son did minutes ago. "Wait! How do you know my mother!?" she yelled as she rose her chin to look up at the sky. He was nowhere to be seen.


	3. Denial

His words baffled her. Izayoi stood in the spot the demon was just standing in a few seconds ago, her neck aching from staring up at the sky. All she saw was a few passing clouds crawling across the vast blue atmosphere above her. Izayoi was so distracted by her racing thoughts she did not hear Noriko calling out her name. It was when Noriko started to shake Izayoi that she snapped out of her trance and noticed Noriko's worried expression right in front of her.

"Eh?" Izayoi blinked and stared cluelessly at her friend.

"What happened, Izayoi-chan? What's up there?" Noriko looked up at the sky herself and then gazed back at Izayoi when she noticed nothing out of the ordinary.

Izayoi rubbed the back of her neck and looked down at the ground. "I look like my mother... how does he...?" she spoke to herself but Noriko could hear.

"He?" Noriko tilted her head, even more puzzled than before.

Realizing she was speaking aloud, she shook her head quickly. "Oh. It's nothing. Really..." she sighed and turned around and started heading towards the direction of home. "We've spent too much time out here, I'm afraid. Let's go back home, Noriko-chan..." and she ignored the whines from her friend as they managed to sneak through the gate and enter the garden. When Izayoi attempted to go inside her house, she paused when she was underneath the branches of the wisteria tree. Her eyes were stuck on the branch she saw the demon sleep on the night before. A hand touched her shoulder.

"I suppose I'll go back inside and help with lunch. You coming?" she could hear Noriko's voice but her eyes remained glued to the wisteria tree. Without saying anything more, Noriko left Izayoi alone.

It was as if something told her to stay close the tree. Near the trunk, she sat on her knees in the shade and her eyes wandered around the rest of her garden. The center of her garden was blooming with shibazakura flowers. Their color was a vibrant pink, and despite their short length they easily stood out. Along the edges outside the flat stone paths bloomed white roses. Their scent was Izayoi's favorite, and they lived longer than most of her flowers which made her grateful to have them in her garden. Then Izayoi looked back up again at the swaying purple flowers hanging off of the branches and smiled softly. It was quiet, and peaceful. Izayoi closed her eyes and took in a deep breath of the fresh air around her.

"Young lady..." a harsh voice came from above her.

Izayoi's eyes opened wide and a gasp escaped her lips. Her chin rose, and she saw the father demon standing on the same branch he was sleeping on the night before. The demon's golden eyes stared at her hard, and he wore a frown. Izayoi's hand went up to her chest as she tried to think of something to say. "If I may ask..." she trailed off, her voice shaking from nerves.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"What do you call yourself?" she croaked her question. Her hand squeezed the collar of her kimono as she forced herself to keep looking at the demon's face.

He smiled. "You may call me Inu no Taisho," he replied, his voice still mean despite the friendly expression on his face.

Izayoi adjusted herself so she could face him better, but she remained on her knees. She cleared her throat. "My name is..." Inu no Taisho cut in as she was about to introduce herself.

"...Izayoi," he finished for her.

Taken aback by the demon knowing her name, she remained silent as they gazed upon the other. Inu no Taisho wore his frown again and squatted so he can sit on the branch he was standing on, letting his muscular legs dangle. Izayoi could not take her eyes off of him, and he never once took his eyes off of her. Her nerves were beginning to disappear. Somehow, Izayoi did not feel awkward with this demon as she did with the humans she lived with every day. The threatening vibe she received from him in their two previous encounters was no longer there. He seemed more curious than anything else. Finally, she found words to say.

"You had to know my mother to see that I look like her," Izayoi commented.

Inu no Taisho studied her. He nodded, and Izayoi waited for him to say something and explain himself but he did not say anything. The demon was being stubborn and an old emotion returned to her. It was something she had stored away once she had gotten used to her father's stubborn ways, but now it was someone else playing with her emotions. Anger rushed through the hime and she stood up so she could make herself look more assertive.

"Tell me how you know her," she demanded the demon. "Right this very moment..." she added as she glared up at Inu no Taisho.

That made the demon laugh, but Izayoi did not flinch like she usually did. She was impressed with herself but did not break her glare off of him. Still, he said nothing but he looked like he was deep in thought so Izayoi stood underneath her tree and waited patiently.

"My father became enamored with your mother when you were small," he told her. Izayoi's heart skipped when she heard his voice. "I could never understand why he did what he did. All he did just for a mortal woman. That mortal woman being your mother. I've been watching you for years, Izayoi. Trying to understand why...or rather how my father could have proceeded to perform such actions," he calmly explained but his explanation only gave Izayoi more questions. The hime was at a loss of words and couldn't decide what to say next. She grew more curious and took a step closer to the trunk of the tree, her head leaning farther back so she could still look at Inu no Taisho.

Izayoi shook her head. "My mother loved my father. She was never involved with another man-" she stopped to rephrase herself. "She was never involved with a _demon_," she fixed herself. The thought of her mother being romantically involved with a demon after she was born was complete nonsense to her.

With another laugh, Inu no Taisho went on. "You were a child, Izayoi. How much can a human child comprehend?" he asked her, tilting his head. His long hair blew in the wind which caught Izayoi's eye. She blushed, but she did not know if it was from embarrassment or something else...

Putting aside the odd emotions she was feeling, she decided she had heard enough. "I don't believe you!" she cried to him and whirled around. Izayoi rushed inside her home, clumsily kicking off her slippers. Her curiosity and anger made her feel sick, but deeper inside there was another emotion she was in denial of feeling. With her forehead in her hand, she paced out of the meeting room and shuffled down the hallway towards her room. Before sliding open her door, she decided to peek around the corner at the end of her hallway to see if her father's door was open. It was not, which was a relief. That meant he was busy and probably did not bother to ask for anyone to check up on her. Quickly, she returned to her door and entered her room. It was empty, but sunlight filled her room. Slowly, she went to peek out her window. Inu no Taisho was no longer in the tree and a cloud went by that made the sunlight disappear. Her room grew dark. Suddenly, her door noisily slid open making Izayoi jump and look over her shoulder with a fear written on her face.

"Lunch is ready!" Noriko cheerfully exclaimed as she rushed in to grab Izayoi's hand and pull her out of her room. Noriko had entered the room so quickly she did not even notice Izayoi's strange reaction so Izayoi quickly disguised her true emotions and put on a smile for her friend. They entered the dining room together, and on the table she saw hot dumplings and rice balls waiting for her and Noriko. Noriko went to kneel at the table and clapped her hands together as she sniffed the food in delight. "This smells so delicious! Come eat, Izayoi-chan!" she called out as she picked up her chop sticks. Izayoi went to kneel by her pair of chop sticks and watched Noriko dig in.

Noriko chewed on a dumpling while smiling but frowned when she saw Izayoi not touching her food. "I thought pork dumplings were your favorite," she spoke with her mouth full of food.

"Oh, but they are!" Izayoi quickly went to pick up a dumpling with her chop sticks and stuffed one in her mouth. She forced a smile and a laugh while she chewed on the dumpling that was too big for her to eat at once. Soon she was coughing, and Noriko gasped and crawled to her friend and begun to hit Izayoi's back. Soon it was over, but Noriko remained worried.

Sighing, Noriko sat more comfortably next to Izayoi. "You're acting funny," she said the obvious and held her knees close to her chest as she watched Izayoi closely.

"I'm sorry..." Izayoi stared down at her lap.

"Why won't you tell me what's wrong?" Noriko asked sadly.

Izayoi lifted her eyes off her lap and gave a comforting look to her friend. "I am just a little nervous about my engagement..." she lied but she lied rather well as Noriko seemed to take that as an acceptable answer.

"Well, you have no reason to be afraid. You'll make a great wife! Unlike..." her friend stopped and continued to look sad. Izayoi faced Noriko and grabbed her hands.

"Don't think like that! You'll make a great wife one day to an amazing man. I know it!" she comforted Noriko as best she could and managed to get Noriko to grin. The friends hugged each other and Izayoi rubbed Noriko's back while thinking of the past two days. A engagement and an encounter with a demon all within that time period. Then Keiji appeared inside her mind. Butterflies fluttered inside her stomach. "Perhaps... you could come live with me and Keiji. He surely must have a spare room," Izayoi whispered to Noriko.

They pulled away and looked at each other. Noriko's grin grew wider. "You really think so? Would your father and Ishida-sama allow that?" she asked.

"If I ask," Izayoi nodded and smiled. Noriko hugged Izayoi once again.

"Thank you! Thank you Izayoi-chan!" she nearly sounded like she was in tears. "I was so afraid that I would be left alone here with your father..."

Now Izayoi felt a little nervous for having said that. Next time she were to see Keiji she would already have a request for him and who knows if he would listen to her. But why shouldn't he if he was the same man she spoke with inside her gardens the day before? His kindness surely would allow Noriko to come and live with them. The thought of leaving her childhood home made her sad even though she looked forward to starting a life with Keiji. Then she wondered what the demon would do. He told her that he had been watching her for... _years_. How come she was not creeped out by that? Would he follow her to her new home? Would she ever see him again? Along with the thought of Inu no Taisho came a million questions that she needed answers to. Before she left this home, Izayoi wanted to speak with the demon called Inu no Taisho one more time. _Soon_, she told herself. _He is watching. I will speak with him and he will give me my answers_, she assured herself.


	4. The Truth May Hurt

Hand in hand, Izayoi and Noriko walked down the hallway towards their bedrooms. They were busy giggling and almost passed Izayoi's room from their chatter, but they came to a sudden stop once they saw her door.

"I shall see you in the morning, Noriko-chan," Izayoi had a pleasant smile on her face. Noriko replied with a playful nod.

"Sleep well!" she let go if Izayoi's hand and waved as she continued on down the hallway towards her room. Izayoi waved back and slid open her bedroom door and entered. Sighing, she pulled her hair all to one side and began to undo her kimono. She made her way to her night gown which was folded neatly next to her bed but something stopped her. Something small and purple was resting in the middle of her bed. Her hands that had been fiddling with her kimono paused and she wrapped her kimono tighter around her as she approached her bed. Izayoi gasped when she recognized what it was. Slowly, she bent over and picked it up. A bundle of purple flowers from the wisteria tree were tied together with a red string. The scent lingered around her bed.

A gust of wind blew in from the window. "You finally came back to your room," a familiar, deep voice spoke from behind her.

Izayoi whirled around, the bundle of flowers still in her grasp. She held them close to her chest as her eyes focused on Inu no Taisho. "What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to hide her fear.

At once he was directly in front of her. Izayoi did not even see him move, and a cold hand grabbed her hand that was clutching onto the flowers. His grip made her drop them to the floor, but their eyes were stuck to each others. He seemed to be examining her, as if he had never been so close to a human before. Surely he had, though, as demons were infamously known for killing humans but probably not in this matter. Izayoi still could not believe she was in the presence of a demon, let alone touching one. Still, she was not as afraid as she thought she would be. Butterflies were fluttering in her tummy, and she did not know if it was from fear or perhaps something else.

Inu no Taisho gentled his grip and let her go, and crouched down to pick up the flowers he had made her drop. When he stood back up he gazed at them and then back at Izayoi. She felt her heart beat faster once he looked at her again. "Do you want these?" he rasped.

Not knowing what to do, Izayoi simply nodded with her mouth slightly open. Izayoi took them from him when he reached out his hand. She gave him a slight, polite bow. "Thank... you..." her words came out slowly. Her eyes were glued to the flowers now.

"I don't understand," he muttered.

Flustered, Izayoi forced herself to look at his golden eyes once more. They were beautiful. "I thanked you. What is there not to understand?"

He scoffed. "Not about those flowers. My father always wanted to be in the presence of a human mortal. The human mortal being your mother. And now..." he trailed off.

"And now what?" she pushed him to continue.

He leered down at her. "Nothing," he replied shortly.

That made her sad. But at the same time, why should she care about how he felt? This thing was a demon, and demons were incapable of love in the first place. "I do not know why you think my mother was infatuated with your father. Perhaps you have the wrong person," she suggested.

"You think I, Inu no Taisho, could make such a preposterous mistake?" his voice rose with anger.

Izayoi took a step closer. "Why not? Everyone makes mistakes," she remarked.

His eyebrows rose. Izayoi did not back down and continued to give him a hard look. Suddenly, he barked a laugh and that threw her off. Izayoi lost her bravery. When she took a step back, Inu no Taisho grabbed her by her shoulders, making her gasp. Now she was stuck only inches away from him.

"You're a funny mortal," he growled but his lips were curled in a small smile. "Pretty, too..."

As hard as she attempted to flee from his grasp, it was simply impossible. Not only was she physically trapped, but her eyes were now stuck on his as they were minutes earlier. Even if she were to be free, would she run? Izayoi felt herself turn red. There was a deeper connection between them. This she was sure of. What was it exactly? Every time she would ask Inu no Taisho a question he would rarely answer it the way she wanted her question to be answered, so she felt it was futile to ask anything. This was beginning to be too much for her heart, and she did have a long, tiresome day. Her knees began to tremble and lose strength. When Inu no Taisho felt Izayoi growing limp in his arms she felt him holding onto her more firmly. Now her eyes were forced shut from exhaustion, and she could not see what was going on. At once her legs were lifted in the air and she was carried to her bed and gently placed down on the soft, cold sheets. Izayoi heard one last thing before falling into a deep slumber.

"Meet me outside of the gardens tomorrow. I will tell you everything you wish to know," Inu no Taisho's voice was calm and she could feel his warm breath by her ear. Everything went hazy, and a dream greeted the hime. A dream filled with flowers and long, silver hair.

...

Izayoi shuffled hastily around her room. The sun was starting to make its way up beyond the mountains in the distance, making blue light blend into the darkness of night. Dawn was approaching quickly and the hime wanted to leave as soon as she could. Once she had put on a new kimono on herself, she rushed to her mirror. With the tips of her fingers she removed the sleep dust from her eyes. Then she picked up her comb clumsily from a nearby table and began to stroke through her long, raven hair. When she was finished Izayoi stood up straight and gazed at herself. It was then when she asked herself why she was so worried about her appearance. The last time she had been so flustered with her looks was when Keiji had come to greet her for the first time. Izayoi smiled softly when Keiji came into her mind. He had not been in her thoughts lately and it was almost refreshing to have something pleasant in mind. For now her betrothed had to wait as Izayoi needed answers. Barefoot, Izayoi slid open her bedroom door and quietly tip toed out. Her feet made no noise as she slowly went down the wooded flooring of the hallway. At one point she had turned around to look down at the direction of her father's bedroom. All was silent and she felt confident enough to keep going. Suddenly she heard another door slide open.

Izayoi jumped like a frightened cat. "Izayoi-chan? What are you doing up so late?" a tired voice asked followed by a yawn. Noriko had woken up.

"Erm... Noriko... it's morning, but you should go back to bed. It's very early..." Izayoi began to panic.

Noriko blinked and her eyes were heavy from being tired. Yet, she would not go back to bed so easily. "It's dark outside, Izayoi-chan. The sun hasn't even started to rise..." she was starting to sound more awake.

"Wh-what makes you think I'm going out-outside?" Izayoi stuttered. _This isn't going as planned. What am I supposed to do?_ She began fiddling with the collar of her kimono, and her knees trembled slightly.

Her dear friend's lips turned into a pout. Then her hands went on her hips. "Do you not remember what happened last time you were caught going into the gardens at night, Izayoi-chan? Your father will be angry at you again!" she spoke louder than Izayoi felt comfortable with.

_She thinks I'm just going to the gardens._ That thought relaxed Izayoi, but she had to quiet down her friend. Izayoi took a step towards her friend and put her index finger up to her lips. "Please, Noriko-chan. I do not want anyone to wake from their sleep..."

Blinking with a puzzled look on her face, it took Noriko a few seconds to realize how loud she was. Then she looked down at the floor with a wince. "Sorry..." she apologized. "But Izayoi-chan, if it's going to be morning soon just stay in your room. Someone will be there to check on you..." she continued on rambling with a more soft tone in her voice.

That was true. Perhaps Izayoi had not thought this through as much as she had thought. However...

"You're right, Noriko-chan. I will head back to my room," Izayoi said with content.

Noriko smiled. "Glad to hear that. Now if you'll excuse me..." blushing, Noriko rushed out and went into the small room where the pot chamber was. She slid the door closed behind her and Izayoi let out a sigh as she realized she was not the reason why Noriko had woken up.

Izayoi continued on her way but very cautiously when she was passing the pot chamber room. _I'm sorry, Noriko..._ Izayoi felt bad for lying to her friend but she had to. Someone was waiting for her. Finally Izayoi had made it to the large meeting room that had to exit to her gardens. By the door she slid on her straw slippers and grabbed a gray cloak that was hanging on the wall. After wrapping herself in the cloak and lifting the hood over her head she quietly stepped outside onto one of the flat rocks that created a path throughout her garden. Izayoi followed that stone path to the gate, all the while taking in the beauty of her flowers bathed in moonlight. Very soon the moon will not shine so bright, as the sky was growing more blue in the east. Izayoi waited for the guard at the gate to become distracted, and when he was facing another direction Izayoi took a risk. Grabbing the rim of the hood on her cloak, Izayoi dashed towards the woods while running along the outside of the wall that surrounded her garden. Her legs complained all the while since Izayoi was not used to running in the slightest. No one had yelled out to her, so she was sure she had made it safely without anyone noticing. Izayoi leaned against a tree trunk so she could catch her breath, and pulled off her hood. Her hand rested on her chest as her heart was pounding from the run. The hime never realized how weak she was. She had not ran like that since she was a child.

"So you came," his voice rang near her.

Her mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out but tired gasps. Embarrassed, her eyes went down to the grass. Izayoi wiggled her toes as they were damp from the dew on the grass. That made her uncomfortable.

Inu no Taisho laughed. "The hime has only just arrived and she is already complaining of being tired and dirty..." he smirked as he teased her.

"I am _not_ complaining," Izayoi managed to say through her gasps and she pushed herself off of the trunk.

"Hmph," was all he said. Then he gestured her to follow him. Izayoi did as she was told.

They walked for some time. Izayoi stared at Inu no Taisho's back as he walked in front of her. He was much taller than she, so she had to walk quick in order to keep up with his long legs. Then she began to examine his hair. It was still tied back, and it flew wildly at times when the wind would pick up. When the sun started to rise above the mountains she began to notice smaller details. On his shoulders the pauldrons were slightly dented, and covered in blood. There were also some stains on his sword as well. Izayoi gulped.

"Where are you taking me?" she finally mustered the courage to ask a question.

"To the spot where it happened," he replied.

The hime was clueless. "To where _what_ happened?"

Inu no Taisho remained silent and finally stopped. They had come to a clearing in the middle of the woods. Izayoi continued walking until she was standing next to Inu no Taisho and took in the scenery. Small, colorful flowers were planted in a circle along the outside of the clearing, with small openings at various spots so someone could walk in the middle without trampling the flowers. "It's beautiful," she whispered. _Someone has to take care of these_, she realized and she glanced at Inu no Taisho with curiosity.

Then the beauty of the clearing was washed away in an instant. "Your mother took her own life here," Inu no Taisho stated calmly.


End file.
